The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for providing discounts.
Merchants rarely experience consistent levels of sales. It is more typical that a merchant will experience periods of low sales activity interspersed with brief periods of high sales activity. Inconsistent sales activity, such as during cyclic or seasonal periods, makes it difficult for merchants to make inventory and pricing decisions. Merchants would like to entice customers to visit the business, particularly during periods of low sales activity. Merchants would particularly like to entice each customer to participate in transactions, such as purchases or simply visiting the store, more frequently.
It is difficult for a merchant to respond quickly to changing conditions. For example, if sales activity is low in the morning, the merchant cannot successfully advertise in time to attract customers that same morning. Since the merchant typically cannot know precisely when it will need customers (i.e. xe2x80x9cslow daysxe2x80x9d) and when customers will be in abundance, attracting customers at optimal times is difficult or impossible.
It would be advantageous to provide a method and apparatus that allow a business to more effectively attract customers at desirable times.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for more effectively attracting customers at desirable times.
In accordance with the present invention, a server or Internet service provider computer selects a soliciting merchant and an outputting merchant based on various factors. In one embodiment, the soliciting merchant is selected if its activity rate (e.g. sales rate) is low. The outputting merchant provides offers for bonuses to customers on behalf of the soliciting merchant. The bonus is provided to the customer in exchange for consummating a transaction with the soliciting merchant. Thus, the soliciting merchant benefits from the increased patronage such offers encourage.